EC takes stock of 5th and 6th phase polling in Bihar

Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla today reviewed the arrangements for the fifth and sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in Bihar to ensure smooth and incident-free voting.
Shukla held a video conference with district magistrates and superintendents of police of the respective constituencies and passed on necessary directions of the EC to them.
"The directions were mostly about security arrangements, sensitive polling stations reported by candidates and vulnerable areas identified by the EC," Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan said.
Seven Lok Sabha seats - Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Ujiarpur, Hajipur, Saran and Maharajganj are going to polls in the fifth phase of polling in the state on May 7.

Around 1.08 crore voters will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 118 candidates in the seven constituencies.
Among the contestants are former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi from Saran, where she is pitted against BJP General Secretary and former Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Lok Janshakti Party President Ram Vilas Paswan is contesting from Hajipur, while RJD strongman Prabhunath Singh is in fray in Maharajganj.
Meanwhile, the EC has decided to seal the Indo-Nepal border along the constituencies going to polls from 7 AM tomorrow till the end of polls on May 7.